DENVER — Researchers from the University of Colorado Denver have found fossil evidence suggesting that dinosaurs danced like birds as part of a mating display.
According to a study published in Scientific Reports, the team, led by geology professor Martin Lockley, discovered large foot scrapes up to two meters in diameter in Colorado's Dakota Sandstone. From the shape and size of the scrapes, the researchers think they may have been made by theropods, the carnivorous dinosaur family that counts the Tyrannosaurus rex as one of its members.
The question the team tried to answer is why the dinosaurs were digging. With water plentiful in the area, it surely wasn't for that. Nor was it for food, since the theropods ate meat, not plants. It did not seem connected to nest-building, either. What the researchers finally zeroed in on is the similarity of the scrapes to the nest scrape display, a mating ritual usually seen in modern birds.
The team hypothesized that like their descendants, the dinosaurs may have scraped and stomped on the ground in a form of mating dance to attract a female partner with which to later breed. The idea seems plausible considering that dinosaurs are believed to be modern birds' ancient ancestors.
But with dinosaurs having been extinct for millions of years, it's hard to be certain about what they did and didn't do. Other specialists, though, concur that the team presented a pretty strong case, and the study is at least sure to draw attention.
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